NGC 1981 is young cluster of stars only recently formed from their surrounding nebula. Still glowing hot and blue, these stars are still surrounded by clouds of material, remnants of the nebula from which they originally formed. NGC 1981 is not a populous cluster, but its comparatively brightblue stars stand out distinctly against their background; indeed in many ways this cluster is reminiscent of the much closer Pleiades, though its relatively much greater distance means that at least binoculars are needed to fully appreciate its structure.